Disclaimer: I don't own either Dawson's Creek or the Gilmore Girls. Though Chad Michael Murray might be nice.
A/N: An idea that has been stewing for ages and finally got written (yes, I'm avoiding another story that needs finishing, how'd you know?) Anyway this is pretty much AU. Most of the details will appear in the story. Let's just say that Charlie never left and the rest will become clear. Issues with school and geography will probably be rectified later but I thought I'd put this up just to see the reaction. Enjoy.
*
Charlie listened to the heavy beat of the music that filtered through the club, letting his head bounce along to the rhythm. Loosely cradling the beer that he was nowhere near old enough to be drinking he idly glanced over the packed bar. Picking out his friends in various drunken incriminating positions he mentally catalogued them for later embarrassment, smirking the whole while.
He watched one such friend weave their way through the crowd, not noticing when they accidentally hit a girl in a tight dress in the face with their cocktail. Charlie watched the girl splutter as Jen, giggling, crashed into him.
"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," she admonished. Charlie looked down at her, her forehead scrunched up in confusion. She tapped one high heeled foot on the floor as she looked up at him and then seemed to remember what she was going to say. "That's your name."
Charlie held back his laughter, knowing drunken Jen well enough by now to not laugh at her. She tended to cry that way. "That's right, Jen. Don't wear it out, now."
Jen considered this and nodded slowly. "Because then your name would Arlie." She took his drink away from him, ignoring his weak cry of protest and took a deep sip, seeming to forget her own drink in her hand. She looked over the dance floor and suddenly turned back to him, proclaiming, "You're not dancing," as though that was what she had come over to tell him originally. For all Charlie knew, it might have been.
He shook his head, reclaiming his drink. "Nope, I'm not wearing the right shoes." Charlie waggled a foot out as far as possible in the packed club. Jen stared down at his foot and then began to crouch down to examine it, as though to check it was, indeed, not a dancing shoe. Not able to hold back his laughter, Charlie tugged her up. She pouted at him and Charlie resigned his laughter to a mere smile.
"You used to dance when we dated," she said, folding her arms and looking as though she was about to cry. Charlie tried to remember one time when they'd dated that they'd ever gone dancing and came up blank, but decided not to push the point. He watched her nervously until she suddenly seemed to brighten. "But when we used to date you also used to cheat on me!" Charlie resisted the urge to roll his eyes. However much Jen claimed she was his friend and over the whole cheating thing, drunken Jen rarely failed to bring it up. Least this time she seemed to be happy about it. "And it's good that you don't do that anymore!" She grinned happily, hopping forward to peck him on the cheek.
"Hey Jen, whatcha doing?" CJ came up behind her, his question aimed more at Charlie. Jen span around and threw her arms around his neck.
"CJ!" She pulled back to regard him seriously. "I was telling Charlie that it's good he doesn't cheat anymore," CJ's eyes widened considerably. "And that he should dance more." She delivered CJ a far less chaste kiss and ran back into the crowd, lost in seconds in the writhing mass of dancers.
CJ watched her go, a bemused but affectionate look on his face. He turned back to the bar, leaning next to Charlie. "She is aware that you're single and therefore have no opportunity to cheat, right?" CJ said, shooting him an amused glance.
Charlie laughed, "I think she's a few too many Mudslides down the line for that to be a pressing issue for her." He glanced back around the packed club. "But on that note I think I might take off."
CJ frowned. "Ah, come on. I need the non-dancing company."
"Nah," said Charlie, rooting in his pockets for his cloakroom slip, "sorry, man. But the couple-dom of the evening is causing me to want to do nothing more than go home and sleep." He gestured to the dance floor. "Even Dawson hooked up." CJ laughed.
"Okay," he raised his Coke in goodbye, "you'll be at the bar for lunch though, right?"
"And miss them all being hungover whilst we dig into a fry-up?" He grinned wickedly. "Hell, no."
*
Letting himself into the apartment, Charlie threw his keys onto the coffee table, shrugging out of his jacket as he headed up to his room. Collapsing onto the bed he stared up at the ceiling, sleep alluding him.
He was eighteen years old, a year ahead of where he should be, due to some wonderful early placement schemes that were available at military school. And he was a thousand miles away, metaphorically if not literally, from the boy he used to be. Or at least he wished he was.
As much as Charlie loved Jen, he hated being around her when she was drunk. He hated being reminded of the way he'd treated her. The money he'd spent on that hacker changing his files was supposed to make him a different person.
Charlie sighed and kicked off his shoes. Joey had been another mistake. Too much like someone else he'd spent far too long chasing, she was far happier with Pacey. Charlie smirked, from the knowing looks that Jack and Jen exchanged it seemed that them getting back together had been far too predictable. Pulling out his wallet Charlie was mildly gratified to see the amount of money he had left. Not getting drunk had it's benefits and as he stretched out across the bed taking advantage of all the spare space, it occurred to him that not bringing home every random girl who crossed his path had it's benefits too.
A different name was supposed to make him a different person. A new beginning. Flinging an arm across his eyes it occurred to him that maybe there was a bit too much of Tristan DuGrey still in Charlie Todd.
*
By the time that Charlie arrived at the bar the next afternoon the table was already full, if slightly more quiet than normal. CJ and Pacey seemed to be dominating the conversation. Charlie grinned to himself, it was how it normally was when they all went out drinking. CJ, of course, didn't drink and Pacey's finely honed sense of honour meant that he avoided getting completely plastered when that was Joey's prerogative for the evening.
Dropping himself into the chair that was left Charlie grinned broadly at all of his friends. "So, how is everyone this morning?" He tapped Jen on the head as she lay slumped over the table, a glass of water in her hand.
Joey raised her head from where it was slumped next to Jen's and glared blearily at him. "Be nice," she struggled into a sitting position and narrowed her eyes at him, "Did I do anything last night that needs to be reported?" She gestured at Pacey, "He doesn't remember too much and," she gestured at CJ, "he's too much of a gentleman to say," she smiled sweetly. "I figure I don't have that problem with you, so spill."
Charlie plastered an expression of mock indignation on his face. "Joey! Me? Not be a gentlemen? I resent that."
The whole table scoffed. "Right," Jack drew the word out into two syllables, nudging David conspiratorially, "I've heard you when you're drunk, Charlie. The last thing you are is a gentleman."
Dawson laughed. "Yeah, I remember Audrey's going away party…"
"Hey!" interrupted Charlie. "Can we get back to Joey's drunken misadventures?"
"No," said CJ, his mischievous streak appearing as it often did when they were teasing his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, "because Joey doesn't have any. Unlike you at Audrey's going away party and that night in the college bar and that party over at…"
"Okay, okay," Charlie held his hands up in surrender, "I get it. But maybe I'm turning over a new leaf." They all stared at him incredulously. "What?" Charlie defended himself.
"It's just, you, man?" Pacey asked, waving his hands for emphasis, "a new leaf?"
Charlie let out an exasperated sound. "Why is this so hard for people to believe?"
"Because we know you, Charlie?" Jen said, smirking.
Charlie stole a fry from Dawson's plate and looked around at them all seriously. "Well, I will prove you all wrong and become different."
Joey groaned. "You can't do that. You provide us with half our gossip since me and Pacey got back together and ended the infernal love triangle once and for all."
Jen and Jack appeared dumbstruck by this and from what Charlie had heard he wasn't surprised. The love triangle obviously wasn't something they were used to joking about. But Dawson just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Joey's right," he took a sip of his water and waved it at Jen, "Hey, Jen, me and you will have to hook back up. That way CJ can get mad and then we can have a big, manly fight."
CJ looked him up and down as he draped a possessive arm around Jen. "Really, Dawson. I would completely kick your ass."
Pacey smiled. "He's got you there man. Now CJ and Jack?" he paused, thoughtfully. "That might be a fight worth seeing."
Joey slammed her hands on the tabletop. "Well, that's that then." She gestured to CJ. "You, forget the whole straight thing," she made little quote marks in the air around the word straight, "and sleep with David."
Laughter rose up around the table as they tried to find the combination that would cause the most trouble in the group, finally deciding on Joey and Dawson just for old time's sake. As Charlie leaned back in his chair, his laughter joining the others, he found himself thinking that sometimes Charlie Todd just had more fun. Even if he did have less money.
